CCR2 Utilities and Telecoms
The rise of customer-focused collections
Achieving the best customer outcomes requires changes to business structure and staff training, attention to detail, and intelligent use of data
Natalie Tate Head of agency performance, quality and delivery, TDX Group
natalie.tate@tdxgroup.com
Type of debt is irrelevant when it comes to customer treatment – or at least it should be. While utilities and telecoms debts fall
under different regulations to financial services, best practice in dealing with indebted individuals does not change. At a customer level, affordability, vulnerability, and disputes do not change according to debt type. Getting it right at challenging times
creates loyal customers and advocates for your brand.
Setting standards Collections is not about meeting a minimum standard. We must all set standards that exceed the Financial Conduct Authority expectations, and should be explicit about what we expect agencies to achieve: from business structure to agent training and call content. Their focus needs to be on driving the fair customer outcomes.
Changing skillsets of an ideal agent There are undoubtedly challenges as the industry consolidates its customer-focused approach. The skillset of an ideal agent has changed
significantly, as have training requirements. A decade ago, debt-negotiation skills
were paramount; now we need agents to listen for triggers and devise the right treatment plan. They need to have some very difficult
conversations with consumers about life events such as bereavement, divorce, and mental health, which is a huge responsibility for any agent to have to manage.
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www.CCRMagazine.com October 2019
We must all set standards that exceed the FCA expectations, and should be explicit about what we expect agencies to achieve: from business structure to agent training and call content
This means that the old patterns of short
tenure, minimum wage, low-skilled call-centre workers are not right for today’s world. We need people with life experience who
can be empathetic, pick up on nuances and use open questioning to get to the heart of the issue.
It is important to recognise that even
with the best training in the world, the right corporate culture, and the right incentive schemes, it is not appropriate for an agent to continue certain conversations unless they are highly trained. Identifying the correct moment to deploy expertise and experience is vital.
Knowledge Great conversations are the key to achieving fair customer outcomes, but so much lies behind that seemingly-simple guidance. We find that using data and scorecards
to profile consumers allows us to identify potentially vulnerable individuals before contacting them. This knowledge is invaluable in matching consumers with staff members at the most
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